Blayne Arthur
By KC Sheperd | Radio Okla. Ag Network
Blayne Arthur, the state Secretary of Agriculture, said that during her travels throughout the state she has detected an improvement in morale since last summer, as many producers are appreciative of recent moisture.
“There are parts of the state that are still in D3 and D4 drought, there is no question about that, but I think certainly from a beef producer side, cattle prices are up, we have gotten some moisture, and the grass is coming on,” she said. “Certainly it’s been a tough year for wheat producers, but I think you hear a lot of optimism out in the countryside and that moisture makes all the difference.”
Arthur also talked about wildfire danger in Oklahoma.
“We see a lot of wildfires,” she said. “We are actually typically ranked in the top 10 for the number of acres under wildfires, and folks don’t think about that. They might think about California or another state, instead.”
Last week, Arthur said, the State Forester and Director of Oklahoma Forestry Services, Mark Goeller, was invited by Congressman Frank Lucas (R-Cheyenne) to Washington, D.C., to provide testimony about how Oklahoma has been able to utilize technology from the National Weather Center in Norman to predict wildfires.
“Mark mentioned that we have gone from a 90-minute prep time to a 6-minute prep time,” Arthur said.
In her new role as vice president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, Arthur said she will focus on the needs of Oklahoma producers in the 2023 Farm Bill, looking into trade opportunities across the world, animal health, and more.
“More on the Oklahoma side is just highlighting the diversity of agriculture to the broad general audience, because I think a lot of folks don’t understand the importance of ag and how that directly correlates to our consumers,” Arthur said.